Heating or cooling devices are commonly used to relieve pain or to treat an injury. Applying a cold pack to an injured ankle, for example, can reduce the swelling in the joint from the injury. Applying heat can also promote the healing and pain relief of different areas of the body. Sore muscles and stiff joints are often treated with a heating pad to increase blood flow and soothe discomfort. For example, many people apply heat to the lower back to relieve back pain. Heat can also be used to provide relief from chronic painful conditions, such as fibromyalgia, rheumatism, arthritis and the like.
There are many existing methods and devices for heating various body parts. For example, electrical heating pads and blankets, disposable pads or patches that generate heat from chemical reactions, microwavable pillows, creams and lotions, water bottles, etc. are all used depending on the body part and user preference. These devices and methods generally provide constant and sustained heat to the affected body part to relax the muscles and associated joints. One drawback of many of these devices, however, is the inability to provide adjustable amounts of heat. Common heat treatment devices, for example, generally provide a single heat level across the device with limited or no adjustability between low, medium and/or high levels of heat.